Regulation

But the Regions wealth management unit refuses to roll over.

House Counsel: 28% Rate Unlikely

House Financial Services Chairman Barney Frank urged four of the nation's top banks to adopt principal writedowns on second-lien mortgages to allow borrowers to keep their homes.

Congress suspended the required minimum distributions for IRA, 401(k) and other retirement plan investors age 70-1/2 last year, since people’s balances took such a hit the year before and many wanted to remain invested in hopes of a rebound. As the market has, indeed, rebounded nicely, Congress is likely to reinstate the RMDs this year, experts say.

While many workers in this time of economic instability and rampant layoffs are afraid to rock the boat by questioning their employers' decisions, recent lawsuits over high 401(k) fees have empowered some workers to ask their employers to offer lower-cost choices.

Says Banks Will 'Skim the Cream’

A little-noticed provision tucked into regulatory reform legislation by the Treasury Department is causing a furor among large institutions, which say it would effectively ban all derivative transactions between banks and their affiliates.

As the Senate Banking Committee considers reform of the nation’s financial regulatory system, the American Insurance Association is seeking to amplify the distinctions between insurers and other financial services firms.

The Independent Community Bankers of America sent a letter Thursday to top Senate Banking Committee leaders raising concerns about rumored plans to name the Treasury Secretary as head of a proposed systemic risk council.

Just over a year after the height of the financial crisis, Citigroup Inc. is a fundamentally different company than it was when it needed billions to stave off a collapse.